At all costs
by Kalvie.64
Summary: Chloe and Derek got kidnapped. Again. Who knows what awaits them down the path to find their friends and families? Will they ever find who is behind all this?
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

 **Derek's POV**

There are some moments that I realized that I am neck deep in trouble. It doesn't happen often, since I usually have a pretty good control of my life. But now, seeing Chloe past out in the chair next to mine, I can't even begin to describe how much trouble we are in.

I have no clue where we are and why we are even in this old basement. Although, there is one thing that I know for sure: they know what we are. If they wouldn't, I would have been able to break out from these restraints 50 times over by now.

The thing with my kind is that there is not a lot that can hold us back. But silver sure does hold a werewolf down. I know how cliché this sounds believe. How I wished this myth was exactly what it was. But no, some dickhead let the word slip and now it was the most believed rumor out there. It even affects my abilities to shift. I can call on my strength, no issues with that. But, there is no breaking the kind if ties they put on me. Even I don't know what it is, there are too many smells coming from it that the best description I could would be a big piece of multiple types of metal melted together.

Just as I was becoming annoyed with my inability to get the hell, I saw Chloe flinch. Not that her powers are going to be of a better use than mine. See, Chloe is a necromancer. Which means that she can raise the dead and talk to them. Since her powers, as well as my own, has been juiced, she could raise them without using a spell of any kind. And they listen to her instructions. To the letter.

My brother, Simon, named them the Deadwalkers. He is a fan of comic books, so my best guess is that it comes from there. But, it stuck and now everyone that is in our close circle calls them that way.

"Derek?" Chloe said. "What are we doing here?"

"I have no clue. I don't even remember being grabbed or being attacked. You?"

"The last thing I remember was driving to my work this morning. I stopped for a coffee, but the memories end there. And according to my shirt, so did the coffee."

As, she turned to face me, I could see that her shirt was full of coffee. Just like if she had spilled the whole thing on herself. I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"That doesn't mean that whoever has us did this to you."

I really couldn't stop laughing and the disapproving look she gave me certainly did not help the situation. She was clumsy to the point that it happened at least twice in the past week. I have no clue how she does it and according to her she is as clueless as I was about that.

No one came in to pay us a visit for at least 2 hours. I couldn't be sure of the time that had passed because the room we were locked in didn't have any windows. So, impossible to track the sunlight and all. Also, it was impossible to tell if it was night or day.

The person who entered the room was not someone I knew. That was the bad news. Good news is that there are stairs that were visible for a few minutes behind that door and it looked like we were in a house. Which means that hiding somewhere outside could be tricky, but doable.

The guy that came in the room was bald and seem quite weak. It was not evident in his appearance. Even thought he was bald, he was muscled and looked able to fight. But, there was something about him that made me think of him as a weak pray, an easy one. I just had to listen to my wolf side and find out what was his weakness.

"Well, hello." Said the new comer. "Sorry to have made you wait so long. But, we were busy with your friends in another room" _Lie_ "and they have been pretty chatty." _Lie again._

I could tell when people were lying because their odors changed enough for my nose to pick it up. Of course, a normal werewolf wouldn't be able to detect such odors. But I have been modified to be better after all.

"Here are my rules." He continued. "No talking unless I ask you a question first. You answer said questions without talking forever. And no trying to escape. It can only end badly. There are enough people up there waiting for you to try it. And let me tell you that they get off on hurting people."

 _Lie again._ There was not as many people as he pretended there was then. Interesting.

"So, Chloe, I need to know where your other friends are hiding."

"If my friends that you have detained in the other room were so chatty, you wouldn't need to ask me this question at all."

Shit! She did not need to piss him off right now. Right now, he seemed pretty contained. But with this insult, he is probably not going to stay calm for long. And I kind of need her to stay in one piece.

And… here we go with the bad temper. I though just as he hit Chloe.

"Stop fighting your restraints, wolf." He said as soon as he noticed that I tried harder than usual to get free of them. "Nothing can help your little friend here." He aggressively took her chin in his hand and forced her to look into his eyes. "I am going to keep it up until she tells what I want to know. If you are the one to break first, then you will be the one providing the answer. We heard all about your protective streak. Now, I can't wait to see who will bend to my will first and …"

I jutted out of my seat and went straight to him. Lucky me, he wasn't expecting me and with a quick punch to the jaw, he was out cold.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She answered still a bit shaky. "Just get me out of these. Please."

I ripped her ties apart and tried not to hurt her. Apparently, I didn't do that good of a job because she winced.

"Honestly, I am just glad to be out of these things." She said after I apologized. "Though, I have no clue how you got out of yours."

I looked to where my ties were discarded and saw a mix of metal melted and covered with what looked like cement. I should never have been able to break out of these.

"I am strong. But last time I checked I was not that strong."

"Might want to do another one. Because your previous assessment was not that accurate then." She said.

I could see that she tried to lighten the mood and I was thankful for it. It permitted me to concentrate better on the surroundings. She saw me doing this times and times before. So, she knew not to talk and to stay as quiet as possible.

But, my earing either sucked, or there was no one in this house. I was really not sure and didn't want to risk it.

"How many?" She asked as she pocketed something from the unconscious guy that just questioned us.

"What are you even doing?"

"Gathering information" She answered like if it couldn't be more obvious. "So, how many?" she asked again.

"None." I answered. "But, be careful, I don't know if it's a trick."

"Sure thing. Lead the way."

As soon as I passed the door, it was evident why there was no one else in this house. There was no house. Whatever happened here left a big hole at the top of the stairs. Making it the only entry point. So, if there was someone else, it would be easy to spot them. Just as it would be easy to spot us. Great! This day couldn't get any better.

I explained my plan to Chloe and we hightailed it out of there as soon as we could. The weird thing was that there was no one else.

Why put all these efforts into kidnapping someone if the goal was to facilitate their evasion? It didn't make any sense. They knew what we were capable of and yet whoever planned this never thought of backup? This was not right.

"I just want to stop somewhere on the way back to make sure that this wasn't a set up."

"Damn! I thought I was the only one who found it too easy to get away. What are you thinking?"

"Probably tracking devices. It wouldn't surprise me with the I-want-to-meet-your-friends thing he had going on."

"You know what I thought was weird?"

"What?" I said immediately.

"He never called them by their names. Always just called them friends. At the beginning, I thought that it was because he didn't want to give up who he didn't have. But, to have more leverage on us, it would have been in his interest to tell us names. You know, the villain always does."

"You are right." I said

There was a silence as we were walking. We both were lost in thoughts over what all this involved. It's like we were back at 16 and were chased by The Edison Group again. We know they stopped at one point, but we sure don't know why.

"We'll go see Edward to make sure that we are not chipped." I said after a few minutes. "And, if there is some info out there, he'll know."

"I haven't seen him in so long!" She said.

Edward and she were good friends. We met him almost right after we escaped the Edison. He was one of the kids that dad knew about that used to be in the Edison group but escaped. He is only 2 years older than us and has always helped us without question. It also helps that he now is the CEO of Merchant Industries, one of the most influential energy enterprises in the US. Rare are the people that want to mess with him.

"We just find a way out of here first." I said.

After 30 minutes of walking around, I saw something that we could use to get the hell out of here. But she is not going to like. And I certainly don't like it either. But, right now, it was out only.

"Chloe" I sighed. "If we want to get out of here, we are going to have to steal this car."

"Nah-ah. Out of question. No. I will not steal a car, or stand beside you while you do it."

"Unless you see another solution. Then I am all ears."

"You know, we didn't just get out of this weird deserted part of town. We are far enough that it's safe to ask for someone to call a taxi for us."

"Oh! And with what will you pay, Fairy dust?"

"No, my damn credit card." She got her card for her bra. And almost shove it in my face.

"I didn't knew that you used that as a storage space." I said

That got her laughing. Got thing too because even though I like her a lot, she is hell when she is pissed.

"Alright, let's go ask for that taxi" I said. "How about this house, there seem to be someone in there."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Chloe's POV**

"You know," I whispered to Derek "maybe we shouldn't have done that."

The lady that answered the door seemed kind and willing to help. But, after a few minutes, it was clear that she was trying to stall us. The indicators being that she pretended that her phone didn't work. Twice. And insisting that we drink the water that she brought us.

I mean, could you be more suspicious? That would be a terrible cliché in a movie. And everyone on the other side of the screen would yell at the dumb people who would actually drink that thing.

"You are right." He said in the hushed voice. "And I already have a plan. You are…"

"You always have a plan." I responded.

I mean, would it hurt him for once to follow someone else's lead. Probably has to do with this whole werewolf thing. It's not new either. It's been that way since the beginning. Even when we were teenager, only his plan was the suitable one.

Right now, I don't know if I am more annoyed by him than I want to leave this place.

"Stop interrupting me." He sighed.

He freaking dared sigh this way! Just like if I was a little kid that couldn't have her own opinion because she doesn't know better.

"I don't know what's happening to me." After a few moment of silence and sudden clarity. "It's not like me to become this angry over unimportant things like that."

"I was about to say the exact same thing." He said while looking deep in thoughts. "Want to bet that she is a witch?"

"I would not want to bet against you on that. Let's get out of here ASAP."

Escaping out of that house seemed just as easy as the first one. And I am not even joking. She was in the kitchen the whole time we were kind of arguing and never came back to see us. Derek said that he could still hear her in there, but had no clue what she was doing. It's like if she wanted us to get away.

"I am sorry." Said Derek after walking for a few minutes. "I did not mean what I said and I don't even know why I said it."

"We both were on the same boat there. There is no need to apologize."

After that, there was a comfortable silence. But, I think we both were trying to find a way to get out of this mess.

"Right about now, it looks like we are in a scripted movie and are following their every direction." I said to Derek, hoping we could come up with an actual plan. Because let's face it, running away is not a plan. "We have to do something that wouldn't be expected from us."

"When I think about it, it seems that they covered every possibility. The car was probably rigged and every house were probably inhabited by someone that was working their plan."

I gasped. "What if they are betting on our instincts?" I said "It would only be logical that we would look for a city or village or wherever there is actual population. From there, they just had to plan every possibility they could think of."

"Damn. I should have thought of that."

"Not used to me being the brains. Hein?"

We both laughed. Happy to release some of the tension from earlier.

"Following your theory, we should go out there." He said pointing to the deserted area.

And that is exactly what we did.

We walked for hours and at some point, thought that we were actually killing ourselves slowly. We had to find a place that had water and food. But, we haven't even found civilization yet.

What kind of place was this shit?

At least, from far away, we could clearly see that the "city" we were in was artificial. There was no road to get us out of there.

"I can hear them." Said Derek after at least another hour.

"You can hear whom?" I said worried that whoever was after us caught up to us.

"People living in whatever city is up close." He said hopeful.

Honestly, I couldn't be more happy with this news. I was really tired of walking and my feet were sore. I have no clue how long we walked but I would have to say at least 5 hours, if I had to put a number on it. I was also starving and thirsty. The whole mix made me want to pass out.

"Maybe 15 minutes and we would …"

"What the hell?" I said just as a city literally appeared in front of us. "Please tell me that I am not hallucinating this. Because I really need it to be true."

"We were in a spell all along. And we just cross the border." He said as he shook his head. "Look!"

I just saw what he was talking about. A small line that is barely noticeable, except if you know what to look for. The line that keeps us out of this maddening world that we were just in!

"We should hightail it out of here. Just in case it sent some kind of alarm and they come to find us."

So, we walked for a few more minutes and settled on the most expensive hotel we could find.

Let's be fair. If you were looking for people that are running away from you, you would look at a no-tell motel. There is nothing more obvious than that. And let's just say that a few dollars could make them talk. As for a more expensive hotel, if you promise to the clerk extra money if they keep their mouth shut about us being there, good chance they are not going to speak up.

And it's not like if we can't afford it either. I realized my biggest dream and I am now a very demanded movie director. As for Derek, he is the CEO of Mane's industries. They make business all around the world and focus on developing new and clean technologies.

As soon as we entered the hotel, we could tell that people were not having it. I have to admit that we were a bit dirty and that we stood out a bit.

I was tugging on Derek's hand for us to leave, but he gave me this stare. You know the one that says to stop or there will be retribution. Or the one you would give to an annoying child. Take your pick, but I prefer the first one. It's just a tad less degrading.

"We will take the biggest room you will have available." He said to the receptionist.

If he thinks that she will be helpful because he is being all shades of bitchy, he's lost in wonderland. Way deep, with no possible redemption.

"I am sorry for this." I said as soon as he finished. You could already see by the look on her face that she wanted us thrown out of this hotel. "He is a bit grumpy today. Our car broke down a little while ago and he does not deal well with his lack of mechanic knowledge. You know how man are."

With that she laughed. Thank God.

"Oh! I get that believe me. Do you need me to call someone for this?"

"It's alright. After a few hours of stubbornness, he finally realized that he couldn't fix it and called a towing service."

Luckily for me, he played along and make a grimace in addition of mumbling something.

She shook her head. "Alright, so the biggest room I have is a suite. How does that work for you?"

"It would be perfect thank you."

We finished the transaction with her and even got her to agree to an extra if no one figured out we were in this hotel. And she looked like if we just offered her the moon. I knew it would work. Contrary to grumpy here.

As I handed over my credit card. She made a face that said she couldn't think less of Derek because he wasn't paying.

So, I added. "Can you believe that he was so grumpy that he forgot his wallet in the car?"

She laughed and her look reflected amusement this time. She then proceeded to show us to our room and gave us an indication to the closest stores.

As soon as she left, I was in the shower. I couldn't wait to get that dirt off me. I have the impression that the last shower I took was 2 weeks ago.

When we were both done showering, we called Simon first. To let him know that we were safe.

"Hey Simon," Derek said. "we are safe."

That's him, cutting it short.

"We are so glad." Simon said. You could feel the relief in his voice. "I am going to put you on speaker."

As soon as he finished that sentence, you could hear everyone speaking at the same time and basically asking the same questions.

Are we okay? Where have we been? And Do we need help?

That lasted for a little while. And, at some point, Derek got tired of it and whistled. Loudly. That stopped everyone's chatter immediately. That is one thing that he is good for. Shutting people up.

"To answer your million questions, yes, New York and yes."

"How do you know we are in New York?"

"There is a writing pad with the hotel address over there." He said pointing at one of the bedside table.

"Damn, could we be even further from California?"

"Tori used a localization spell. So, we are close to New York. We can be there yesterday."

"Did you, by chance, have any extra clothes for us. And our wallets or anything we can actually pay with?" I asked.

"Yeah. We have both. We figured that you did not leave on a vacation or anything like that."

"Believe me when I say that a vacation sounds damn good right about now." Said Derek with his usual growl.

We couldn't stay on the phone too long just in case it was linked to something that could track us. I didn't get half of the thing that Derek said about it. But if he says it's possible, then I believe him. He knows way more about these things than I do.

As Derek was giving instructions on how to find the hotel, I was roaming around the room, trying to find something to do. That's when I felt something was not quite right with our location.

"Derek, we have a problem."

"What is it? Are they here."

"No, it's just that there is too much possible bodies to rise. And they are quite fresh kills."

"Can you locate them?"

I focused on them and when I figured out where they were, it was too late.

"Here. They are here. As in right outside that door." I said pointing our hotel room door.


End file.
